Down in Flames
by hahayoudead976
Summary: A teenage fox-spirit prepares to graduate from training school. When his village is targeted and attacked, what adventures will he go through for revenge? Rated T for stuff
1. Prologue: Part 1

Hello, world!

I'm starting off my first Fanfic ever in the D&D section (obviously). I'm not going to give any spoilers as of yet.

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

"_WAKE UP!_"

The figure under the blankets shifted position and a groan was heard, followed by a barely intelligible "Five more minutes" as the person curled up tightly.

Just as he was dozing off again, he could feel the covers being lightly lifted from over his head-

***SMACK*** "OWW!"

"I told you to wake up, now don't be late!"

"Okay, okay."

After waiting for that intruder to exit his room, the victim finally threw back the covers and sat on the edge of his bed. Looking down at his white-furred body, he yawned widely and dropped onto all fours on the floor, arching his back and hearing some bones crack into place. Standing up on his hind legs, he looked into the mirror to his left to observe the blue-eyed fox staring back at him. Walking stiffly towards the door, he straightened out the seven thick tails that streamed out behind him and moved into the hallway.

"Oh, _there_ you are," said a voice from the kitchen as an older, red-furred fox poked her head out of the doorway. "I thought I was going to have to come in there again to drag you out here!"

"Meh."

"Oh, don't be sour." The two walked into the kitchen where a plate was sitting on the table with some toast and an apple. "You should be excited! It's not every day you graduate from the top training school in town!"

The white fox sat down and began eating while she roamed the kitchen, pulling out various foods and spices. "Mom, it's not really a big deal..."

"But it IS!" she protested. "Derek, you're growing up! Graduating is a big step in finally getting out of the house and moving on with your life! Not to mention, you'll be finding a girlfriend soon, right?" She glanced at him hopefully.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Mom, I-what are you making, dinner for the entire _village_?" He cried as the table started to fill with enough food to cause it to creak.

"I just want you to be ready for your final day!" His mother rubbed his head as she scooped more food onto his plate. "Now, eat up!"

"Thanks, Mom, really... but I'm kinda full already." Derek stood up and looked down at his thin figure. "I don't need much to keep me going, honest."

"Oh all right, just... are you sure you're all ready? Are you hungry?" She asked as she started piling more food onto his plate, almost pleading for him to eat more.

He shook his head and started towards the front door. "Really, Mom, I'm fine. I gotta go." He grabbed his training staff from the corner and turned only to get engulfed in a hug. "What-"

"Good luck." Derek looked down at the top of his mother's head. _Is she crying...?_

"Mom, I... I really have to..." He glanced away awkwardly. "C'mon, s-stop it."

"All right, all right, I'm sorry." She stepped back, opened the door and pushed him out. "Now have fun!"

"O-Okay, bye." Stumbling away from the now-closed door, he made his way down the road to the training school. _That was weird_, he thought as he rubbed his arms vigorously. _Uh oh, I forgot my-_

"Derek!" A small, light-orange fox dashed up to him and held out a long, purple scarf. "You forgot this!"

"Thanks, Amanda." He smiled and quickly wrapped the scarf around his neck. "Chilly day, eh?"

"Yeah, a little. That's why I wore my coat!" She held up her arms, showing off her bright lime-green jacket. "Isn't it pretty?"

Derek stifled a laugh and just grinned. "Y-Yeah, I guess you could say that..." He looked ahead and noticed a few other students already walking to the school. "Wanna walk with me?"

"Okay!" Amanda grabbed his hand and bounced along beside him as they approached the school. "Where's your girlfriend?" she asked as she looked around eagerly.

Derek frowned. "Again, Sarah is _not_ my girlfriend." He scowled at Amanda as she giggled and poked his side.

"Yeah, but you wish she was!" Derek rolled his eyes as Amanda reached behind him and started prodding the tail closest to her. As much attention as they drew to him (and how negative said attention was), she had always had a certain fondness for the numerous long, fluffy appendages protruding from his backside. "You wanna hug her and cuddle and play bed games like Mommy and Daddy used to-" Derek clamped a hand over her mouth as she looked up at him indignantly, hoping that his little sister was mostly clueless about the true nature of these 'bed games.'

"Is that so?" Derek whirled around to stare at the source of the sudden interruption, a light-grey wolf who was, at the moment, smirking at him just a bit _too_ smugly.

"I... n-no, I... she just, you know... I mean... she's just _nuts_!" he yelled, feeling his face heat up under his friend's knowing gaze.

"Hi Sarah!" Amanda squealed, tackling the wolf and sitting on her chest. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Right now I'm getting squashed by a small, pesky fox." Sarah grumbled as she stared up into the small fox's bright eyes.

"Naw, I'm too little to squish you!" Amanda jumped up and ran around the two teens a few times. "C'mon, let's play!"

Sarah slowly rose to her feet and shook her head. "Sorry squirt, me and your bro have to-"

"Your bro and I," Derek corrected.

"_This idiot and I_ have to get to school. We'll play this afternoon, okay?"

"Okay! See you later, guys!" Amanda yelled as she started scampering back home. Derek stared after her blankly for a moment before an accusing voice snapped him back to his senses.

"So... hugging, cuddling, and 'bed games.'"

"Hmph. Let's just get to class."

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Please review, any helpful comments are appreciated! :D


	2. Prologue: Part 2

Hello again, here is the second chapter (of the prologue).

I will most likely continue to update weekly with a new chapter, or at least some excuse as to why there's no chapter. XD

Anyways, enjoy and please review!

* * *

"KYA!"

***SNAP*** "Damn it, Kale!" shouted a tall, middle-aged cat. He glared at the noticeably scrawny rabbit in front of him. "That's the FIFTH staff this quarter! They aren't free, you know!"

"I'm SORRY!" He wailed. "I thought you were gonna hit me!"

"I was," The instructor seethed, "because we are _TRAINING_! But I don't remember teaching you to break your weapon in _fear_!"

Derek snickered along with a few other students nearby as they overheard the instructor's ranting. While Kale was, most likely, the top student in the entire school regarding academics, when it came to actually using the weapon he studied, he hadn't exactly measured up to everyone's expectations. A sudden sharp pain on the bridge of Derek's nose brought him out of his laughing fit and into a quivering ball of agony on the floor.

"Isn't '_Pay attention to your opponent_' lesson ONE of training school?" Sarah rested her staff over her shoulder and grinned down at the white mass of fur as it emitted a quiet whimper.

"That was a cheap shot and you know it..." Derek moaned as he held his nose.

Sarah laughed. "Of course! Why do you think I took it in the first place?"

"ALL RIGHT EVERYONE, SIT DOWN PLEASE!" The commotion in the sparring room eventually died down as the students swarmed the bleachers. Derek found himself seated between Sarah and another of his friends, a sand-colored kangaroo who smiled at Derek and Sarah as they joined him. "Hey Francis," Sarah greeted him.

"Hey guys, how's training been... going...?" The kangaroo now identified as Francis trailed off as he looked closely at Derek's nose.

Sarah chuckled again as Derek frowned and muttered, "At least I'm better than Kale."

"Right, right... _that's_ sure something to be proud of." Sarah remarked sarcastically, then looked around awkwardly as she noticed the stares of everyone in the room, including the instructor, fixed on her. "What?"

"If I may continue without being _interrupted_," the instructor said while still staring at a withering Sarah, "I'd like to congratulate you all on finishing your entire school career. Now all you have to do is find a mate, have kids, and get a job teaching how to use a staff for minimum wage." The cat paused and looked around at the uneasy faces looking back at him. "Er, well, I mean, it's not as bad as it sounds. You guys are only, what, 16?" This was met with a mixed chorus of "16," "17," and "18" as the cat acknowledged the replies with a nod. "See, you guys are still young enough to do something worthwhile before settling down. Don't worry about it." Seeing his words were not having the intended effect as a goodbye speech, he looked down at his paws nervously. "Um, anyway, it was a pleasure teaching all of you. Now, come up and get your diplomas."

"This is one _fancy_ graduation," Sarah said flatly. "I bet our names aren't even on the diplomas."

"Here, just take one and pass them around," the teacher said as he gave the nearest student a box full of rolled-up documents. "They're all the same, so it doesn't really matter which one you get." Sarah gave the two boys a dull _what-did-I-just-say_ glance as she took a roll of parchment and handed the box to the next person.

As the last of the assembly took their diplomas, the training instructor finally dismissed everyone with a simple "Good luck" as they filed out the doors.

"Well, we're finished." said Francis blankly.

"Yeah," Derek sighed dreamily, "finished..."

"What do we do now?" Sarah wondered. An opportunity revealed itself in the form of two black wolves, a bear, and a short jackal that surrounded the trio. "Oh, gee. Look who decided to show up... Thing 1, Thing 2, Yogi Bear and Rocky Raccoon."

"I am a _jackal_!"

Sarah leaned down until she was face-to-face with the quivering boy and growled. "I don't care."

"Captain Kangaroo, a freak of nature and... um..." the bear struggled for another nickname to give Sarah.

"Why are you guys even here?" Derek asked annoyedly.

"Well, we couldn't miss our own graduation, could we?" replied one of the wolves snidely.

"You're kidding. You guys actually _graduated_?" Francis asked, surprised. The group of four all glared at him at once as he laughed. "What did you do, bribe the school board?"

"Look, we just want to have a little going-away _chat_ with our multi-tailed friend here, so if you two geeks would just shove off, we'll be done with him soon enough." The two wolves walked on either side of Derek and glared at the wolf and kangaroo impatiently. "Well?"

"I don't think so," Sarah muttered as she pulled Derek and Francis along. "Let's go, guys."

"We'll be back for you, _freak_!" The jackal yelled as the three walked away.

Taking note of her friend's flattened ears, Sarah patted Derek's shoulder. "Don't let those idiots get to you, Derek," Francis reassured him quietly. "They're just jealous of your intellect and skill, I'll bet."

"Yeah, sure..." Derek mumbled, his tails dragging in the dirt. "Guys, I kinda feel like taking a walk, so I'll see you later." Noticing his friends' worried expressions, he forced a smile. "Look, I'm fine. I've never been bothered by bullies before, why should I let it annoy me now?" He turned left and walked towards the forest surrounding their village. "I'll be back soon."

"All right. See you in a while." Sarah replied while Francis waved a farewell.

When Derek was out of sight of his friends, his smile gradually faded to a saddened frown. "Stupid bullies..." he muttered aloud. _I was expecting some teasing, sure, but we've GRADUATED, for crying out loud! Why can't they leave me alone?_

_**Because you're different from everyone else,**_ a voice rang in his head.

It was true, he concluded; he was indeed a rare case, as no one in the entire region that he knew of had multiple tails, not even his parents. He had often questioned how he could have ended up with such a deformity, but had never been given a solid answer and just brushed it off as a birth defect.

The kitsune continued walking beneath the trees for some time before realizing he had unconsciously steered himself towards the lake he spent much of his free time by. Sitting down on a rock near the edge of the small body of water, he stared down into the clear liquid. _At least Sarah and Francis took pity on me and were nice enough to actually hang around with me._ He smiled at the thought of his friends as he gazed across the water. _I wonder how Amanda will do in training school..._ he wondered. _Definitely better than me, of course - she'll be able to make friends, no problem at all. Not to mention she isn't exactly the worst-looking kid, either._ Derek sighed as he looked back at his tails. _Unlike me... it seems like I'm the only one in this entire area that's repulsive to this degree. Compared to me, even Sarah looks smoking hot._

Derek blinked and shook his head. "Did I _seriously_ just think that-" _Wait a minute..._ He sniffed the air a few times and his eyes stretched wide.

_Smoke._


	3. Prologue: Part 3

And we're back, with Part 3 of the prologue! Don't worry, this is the last part.

By the way, this chapter is probably where the T rating starts to go into effect. Just a little warning.

Enjoy!

* * *

Derek darted back and forth between the trees towards the village, a white blur to anyone watching him from a standstill. _Please don't be my house, please don't be my house..._ he repeated over and over again in his head, looking with disdain at the thick dark clouds drifting away from his destination. After hurtling a few branches and wriggling under a fallen tree, he finally made it to the edge of town. Pushing the gate open slightly, he was hit with a wave of heat and smoky air that made him choke. _Not good._

Surrounding the fox was the market square... or what was left of it. The remains of buildings and carts lay smoldering on the dirt road, and as Derek nimbly ran down the littered path he began to wonder, _where was everyone?_ One would think a fire in a community with primarily wood-based structures would cause quite a commotion, but aside from the crackling of flames and the occasional rumble of a falling house, there wasn't a sound to be heard. Derek halted abruptly when a faint scent reached his nose through the smoke. Quickly moving in the direction he suspected it to be coming from, he came to a charred door and, with a quick sweep of the foot, knocked it easily off its weakened hinges. The scent was much stronger now, he realized, and he looked around the inside of the house he had just entered. Deciding on where the source was, he barged through another door and froze.

Laying on the floor in front of him was the mangled body of Kale, the student from training school. Derek shuddered as he gingerly rolled the boy onto his back to reveal a long, deep slash across his chest, blood staining the front of his shirt and patches of his cream-colored fur. The smell Derek had been following now intensified, and he quickly turned his head away while rolling Kale onto his stomach again. Backing away from his former classmate, Derek bolted out of the house and down the street toward his own home. "HELLO?" he yelled. "IS ANYONE OUT HERE?" Hearing no one answer, he continued running and calling out for survivors.

Derek skidded to a stop in front of his house and stared in shock. Nearly the entire roof was in flames, and large holes had appeared where the sides of the house had been burned away. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and charged through the front door. "MOM?" He dashed into the kitchen. _Oh God please don't be dead Mom you can't be dead-_"Whoa!" he yelped as he slipped on something wet and crashed to the floor. "Oww..." he moaned, "what the...?" Looking down at what caused him to fall, Derek had to cover his mouth to avoid throwing up. Blood covered nearly the entire kitchen, and a thick trail of the dark red liquid was slowly inching its way toward him from somewhere behind the counter, out of his sight. He crawled to the edge of the structure and cringed, then forced himself to peek around the corner, immediately wishing he hadn't.

In the midst of many bloody knives, a red fox lay slumped against the refrigerator with a single blade protruding from her stomach. Cuts covered her chest, arms, and face, and blood seeped from a deep gash in her neck. Derek weakly approached her on all fours and prodded her shoulder. "M-Mom..." he whispered. He shut his eyes tightly as he received no response from his mother, and gently hugged her body as he felt the chill of death creeping under his touch.

Suddenly his head snapped up and he looked around wildly. "AMANDA!" He leapt to his feet and scrambled out of the kitchen, searching the bottom level of the house frantically. "AMANDA?" His eyes met the stairs leading to the hall where his younger sister's room was. Creeping forward to the staircase, he tentatively ascended the first step... then the second... and so on, avoiding some burning cinders along the way, until he peeked into the hallway of the second floor. A few seconds later he was already at the young girl's door, knocking rapidly. "Amanda, you in there? I'm coming in!" and with that, he flung open the door and found Amanda laying in bed on her stomach.

Sleeping.

_Are you fucking KIDDING me?!_ Derek facepalmed and walked over to the bed. _How could she sleep through this?_ Shaking her, the kitsune immediately remembered why he hated having to wake up his heavy-sleeping sibling. "Amanda, get up. We have to go." Having no success, he shook harder. "Get up, lazypaws!" He growled when, once again, he didn't get a response. Pressing both his paws down on her back, he was confused to feel stickiness under his fingers. Lifting his paws, he gasped when he found the covers soaked in a deep crimson liquid. _No..._ Derek slowly, painfully pulled back the covers with trembling arms and rolled his little sister onto her back, cringing when he saw the wound that confirmed his fears: a long slice going clear through her chest and out the back.

The victim's older brother collapsed over her peacefully resting body, tears streaming from his eyes. "No," he whispered, "no, no... sis..." He squeezed her arm weakly. "Wake up... please..." He buried his head in her shoulder, breathing shakily.

_How could someone do this to her? To someone so... innocent?_ He let out a choked sob and stared at her face. _She wasn't even downstairs when they came in..._

_They actually searched the house just... to kill her, too?_

Derek blinked and let go of the arm he had been clinging to._ Someone went out of their way to murder a six-year-old girl?_ He stared at the slowly-spreading pool of blood around his sister's body and felt an unexpected spike of anger. _She was sleeping, and they just KILLED her..._

At that moment, something deep in Derek's mind snapped. Standing abruptly, he turned stiffly away and darted out the door. He felt his cheeks grow even more soaked with tears, but it never occurred to him that he was crying. All that went through his mind was that everyone he knew and loved had been so cruelly taken from him.

Like _that_.

The rage he felt boiling in his veins would be undetectable through the cold, dark look he wore on his face as he stalked away from his collapsing house. Derek knew then that life would never be the same again-for him, _or_ for the ones who had caused this nightmare.

He would make sure of it.

* * *

Aaand that's the end of the prologue! Now, the real story can start.

I still won't be giving spoilers.  


By the way, totally not trying to be a review-whore, but I really would appreciate any feedback on how I'm doing so far, because 1. It's my first fanfic and 2. I've never really had an aptitude for writing, but I love making stories.

Anyway, see you all in about a week with another update! :D


	4. I: 6 Years Later

Hello out there! Welcome to the first chapter. I'm gonna label the chapters from now on with Roman numerals cause they look cool. xD

Also, sorry for not updating yesterday, I got home late and had to wake up really early this morning.

Anyway, enjoy~

* * *

Deep in the large town of Maro, a lone badger rested at the counter of a tavern and ordered another drink. Quickly downing the beverage, he paid the owner and made his way towards the front door. After only taking a single step outside, he was nearly knocked over as someone bolted past him, and the badger leaned back against the door for support. "Watch it!" he yelled at the rapidly-shrinking outline of the person, and squinted after it. Due to a combination of nearsightedness and the long day of drinking he had just been returning from, he failed to identify the individual who had so rudely attacked him. "I really need to sleep this off," he concluded as he stumbled in the opposite direction.

Commotion swept the next street over as a large group of people on horseback sped along a seemingly aimless route through the town. Clad in light leather armor, the group fell into a single-file line in the middle of the road. Near the front of the line, one of the cavaliers let out an agitated growl. "We lost him _again?!_" he exclaimed in a booming voice. He pulled back the visor of his helmet, his face being that of a kobold. "If one of you doesn't give me some positive news in the next _ten seconds_, I will personally see to it that the king has you all executed!"

"Wait! I see him!" A younger soldier at the back of the line pointed to the end of the road, where a flash of purple and white could be seen moving behind a building and onto an intersecting street.

"Well, what are you waiting for, you dolts?! After him!" The line of soldiers fell apart into a jumbled mass and followed the culprit onto the next street.

After the mob had passed, a figure dissolved into visibility as it tentatively stepped out of a shadowed alley between buildings, and the sunlight revealed the form to be one of a tall white fox. He tugged at the knot of a purple scarf tied around his neck, and nine large tails flicked from side to side behind him as he looked around warily. Realizing he was safe from danger for the time being, he relaxed and chuckled. "Idiots." He immediately regretted his decision to voice that opinion aloud, as a barrage of arrows suddenly pierced the ground around his feet. With a yelp of surprise, he sped away as fast as his feet could carry him. Turning a corner, the fox screeched to a halt...

...and came face-to-face with the horse currently carrying whom he assumed was the leader of the band of soldiers.

For a moment, no one moved. As the pause stretched on, everyone remained still, not even daring to breathe... until the silence was finally broken by an arrow that whizzed by, mere inches in front of the fox's face. As if a switch had been flipped, the area burst into action as he stumbled backwards and darted away. "After him!" The leader screamed, and within seconds the entire force was in pursuit.

_God damn it..._ the fox moaned as he swerved between pedestrians, _I thought I'd lost them this time._ Although he was secretly proud of his high stamina, sprinting for nearly an hour had reminded him to never skip breakfast again, and he could feel traces of fatigue nipping at his legs. Just as he was starting to feel uneasy about this predicament, a hand suddenly appeared in front of his face, attached to an arm stretching out the window of a nearby building. With a firm grip on his scarf, the arm yanked him clear through the window with surprising strength, meriting a choked gasp from the half-strangled kitsune. Before he could yell out, a hand clamped his muzzle shut while another arm circled around his chest, pinning back his arms. He writhed in the stranger's grasp until he received a harsh "_ssh!_" Calming down for the moment, he listened as the line of guards passed him with loud _clip-clop_'s coming from the horses, which then faded away. Right as he was about to try escaping again, the one holding him from behind let out a quiet breath. "Okay, they're gone," came a surprisingly feminine voice as the fox was gently righted on his feet. He brushed himself off and turned around to see his temporary captor, an orange and white striped cat. "Man, you must have really pissed somebody off, huh?" She stared at him with amused green eyes.

"...Yeah." He folded his arms and turned his head slightly, keeping his gaze fixed on her. The cat rolled her eyes and held out the same white paw that had grabbed him a moment ago, and he stared at it suspiciously for a few seconds until he finally stretched out his own for a short handshake.

"Name's Aezel." Aezel waved her tail lazily behind her and gestured to the room they were in. "This is my... temporary residence, if you can even call it that." The fox glanced around the small space with obvious impatience, tapping his foot while his tails twitched occasionally. "What about you, mister hasty? Got somewhere to be?"

"I just don't feel welcome in the homes of strangers," he snapped. Aezel could see his dark blue eyes darting around the room warily. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll be going." Aezel watched as the fox spun on his heel and walked quickly out the door.

"This isn't a home anyway," she called after him. Following him outside, she matched his stride as they strolled along the side of the road. "Where are you going?" she demanded. "Don't you think you should stay indoors, what with the guards after you and all?"

He snorted. "I'm not afraid of those dumb salamanders." Speeding up his pace, he glared back at the girl struggling to keep up. "Why are you following me, kid?"

Aezel shrugged. "I don't know, I have nothing better to do." Meeting his stare with her own, she added, "and I'm not a _kid_, I'm eighteen." She looked over the tall, slim figure of the fox in front of her curiously. "How old are you?"

With an irritated growl, the fox halted, causing Aezel to ram into his back and get tangled in his tails. Backing away, she averted her gaze as he quickly turned around and scowled at her. "Now look," he began, "I'm a very busy fox. I move quickly and efficiently to do odd jobs and perform assigned tasks that pay for the food in my stomach. I don't have time for friendships, hospitality, chats, or any other common pleasantries, and I'd appreciate it if you would just leave me _alone_." Not waiting for a response, he marched away with his tails raised stiffly behind him. Aezel raised her head in time to see him turn a sharp corner and disappear from her view.

_Wait._ She ran around the corner and stopped in her tracks, the strange fox she had been following only a few meters in front of her. Aezel watched in awe as he leapt nimbly onto an awning and from there to the top of the nearest building. Seeing he was preparing to move on to the next roof over, she voiced her previous thought aloud. "W-Wait!" The fox tensed and flicked his ears to signify that he had heard her. "Who are you?" she called, squinting up at him. Standing perfectly still, he remained silent. "What's your name?" she yelled, growing frustrated.

He turned his head slightly to look at her with an unreadable expression. "Why?"

"I told you mine," she insisted, smirking.

He paused and tapped his foot, staring at nothing for a few moments. Finally, his glanced back at the cat looking up at him intently. "It, um... it's Derek."

Aezel blinked, and he was gone. "Derek..." she repeated, studying the ground idly. "What a dumb name."

* * *

Thanks for reading, and please review! I'll be back next friday with Chapter 2. 

hehe that rhymed :3


	5. II: It Never Stops

Hi out there! Sorry again for not updating yesterday, but I had to get some sleep before I could finish writing this chapter.

For future reference I'm just gonna say that I'll try to update weekly, most likely on Fridays or Saturdays.

Oh yeah, and a shoutout to RPG Girl for being my first reviewer. Thanks again! :D

Enjoy!

* * *

Once again, the very same badger was sitting in the tavern, a mug of ale in his hand. Staring straight ahead, he brought the drink up to his lips and took a small sip. His ears perked up when he heard an almost silent _thud_ directly above his head. Listening for a moment but hearing nothing else, he quickly lost interest and moved his eyes back down to the dull brown liquid in front of him. No one noticed the white fox outside jump down from above and enter the building.

Derek stepped inside the tavern and cautiously looked around as the door swung shut behind him. Making his way to the bar, he sat quietly at the far end and rested his arms on the counter. The only sources of light in the establishment being a central fireplace and some wall-mounted torches, faint shadows flickered over his face in the dim atmosphere.

"Hey, the name's Gary. What'll it be?"

Derek raised his head slightly to glance at the bartender, a raccoon who was giving him a questioning look. "Strongest thing you have," he muttered. The raccoon nodded and turned away to pour the drink, and Derek rested his forehead in his palm, closing his eyes wearily. The dull _thunk_ of a glass hitting the counter brought him back to awareness, and his eyes snapped open again, staring straight into Gary's wary expression. With a startled yelp, the raccoon lurched backwards and let out a shaky breath.

"I thought you were asleep," he chuckled nervously, scratching his head in embarrassment. Derek grunted and picked up the drink, downing it in one smooth gulp. Holding the glass out to the bartender, he didn't notice the wide-eyed stare he was receiving.

"Another of these, please." Gary shook his head and took the empty glass, glancing at the kitsune concernedly before refilling it.

"Well, here you go..." Derek felt the raccoon's eyes on him as he quickly swallowed the second drink and put down the glass, staring down at the bottom of it dully. Gary paused for a moment, then nudged the fox's shoulder gently. "You okay, guy?"

"Yeah," he replied, barely loud enough to hear. Noticing the uneasy look he was getting from the bartender, he started. "Oh, sorry..." He pushed the glass forward. "I'll have one more of these."

Gary hesitated, finally giving in and taking the empty glass when Derek looked up at him expectantly. "All right," he breathed, making the drink once more. Sliding it across the counter, he shook his head in disbelief as Derek finished yet another glass with a toss of the head. Luckily, he didn't appear to want any more, simply scanning the room silently. "So," he started slowly, "where're you from? Don't see many of you around here."

Derek paused for a moment before looking at the raccoon. "Many of you, _what_?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

Gary shrunk back under his glare and averted his own eyes, stuttering. "I-I just meant, you know, uh... f-foxes?"

"Sure you do, Gary!" The two looked to see a short cat approaching them, and Derek's ears flattened as he recognized her. "Why, just two days ago there was some old coot-"

"Aezel." He muttered irritably, pointedly leaning away as she took the stool next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I come here every day!" She chirped. Suddenly taking notice of his tone, she retorted, "Well, what are _you_ doing here?" She saw something flash in his eyes, but he turned away before she could identify it. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," he growled. "Leave me alone." With a glance down at his empty drink, he tapped the glass on the bar top impatiently; Gary refilled it yet again after sending Aezel a look. The cat tried desperately to think of something to strike up a conversation. She nearly gave up before her eyes settled on the fox's backside.

"So, what's up with your tails?" She heard a quiet _uh-oh_ from Gary as Derek stiffened. "Erm, I mean... have you always had so many?" The kitsune frowned, but didn't respond, and Aezel wondered if he had heard her. "Uh, Derek?"

"No," he stated simply, "I haven't. I was born with one, like everyone else." He looked at her with an almost wistful glint in his eyes that was soon replaced by disgust. "But _then..._" he trailed off, shaking his head. "I was the laughing stock of my school."

Aezel looked at him with concern, and after a moment she patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry I asked."

"Don't be," he muttered, "it's not like it'll ever stop."

"Hey, _freak!_" Derek's ears stood straight up, and his scowl deepened. Turning his head, he slid his gaze behind him and saw a wolf and a large bear approaching the bar. "Yeah, you!" Derek turned around in his seat to face the duo, already seeing where this confrontation was headed. "What do you think you're doing, huh?" The wolf snarled at him.

Derek matched the wolf's expression with his own, narrowing his eyes in annoyance. "Well," he cast a quick glance back at Aezel, "I _was_ having a conversation."

The bear lumbered closer and loomed over the bar in front of him, letting out a rumbling growl. "Yeah, well, we don't want vermin like _you_ driving people outta our place!" Another step forward.

Derek looked at him with mild confusion. "Your place," he repeated. "What, you own this tavern?" he asked, not believing them for a second.

The wolf snorted, confirming his suspicions. "Of course not," he said matter-of-factly. His tone seemed to scream out, _What are you, stupid?_

Derek span around once again to face the bar, waving them off. "Then get out of my face," he growled, taking a long drink from the glass in front of him.

Suddenly, he felt a large paw grip his shoulder roughly and was twisted around to face the two bullies, nearly being jerked out of his seat. "Now listen, you," the bear spoke with a gruff voice. "We want you out of this building _now_ before everyone starts ripping their _eyes out_ from having to look at you. You've got no place in here, you got it?" Derek stared, unblinking, at the increasingly-impatient giant in front of him, and Aezel started to feel uneasy.

"Derek," she whispered, "what's going on?"

"Shut up, runt," the wolf hissed sharply.

"You've got three seconds." Derek didn't flinch, didn't show any sign that he had even been listening to the threats he had been receiving. Finally, after what seemed an eternity to the onlookers of the situation, he blinked and exhaled quietly.

"You know what," he said flatly, finishing his drink in another quick sip, "I don't feel like dealing with this right now." Standing up and fishing out a few coins, he tossed them on the bar top and headed for the door. "I'm getting out of this dump." He paused as he passed between the wolf and the bear, now standing back to 'escort' him to the exit. "Excuse me..." the fox smirked. "_Your_ dump."

"...hey. _HEY!_"

Reaching for the door, Derek was stopped by a tap on the shoulder. He turned around and felt a slight tug as the wolf's claws closed around his scarf. "You forgot this." A quick grunt was followed by a swift hook across the fox's face that sent him sprawling on his back. "Hah!" the wolf scoffed. "Not so tough _now_, are ya? Eh?"

Derek rubbed his jaw, leaning on an elbow with dazed eyes. "When you sucker punch me?" He shook his head to clear the stars from his vision. "No, I guess not." Standing up and brushing himself off, he once again reached for the door. "See ya."

"And just _where_ are you going?" The bear approached the two canines with a smug grin that was soon matched by his partner.

Derek sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose and shutting his eyes. "I thought you wanted me to leave." _How long are they gonna keep this up?_

"You're just walking away?" The wolf cackled. "Pft. What a wimp."

"Yeah, you're just gonna run from a fight _you_ started?" The duo chuckled, elbowing each other in satisfaction. Looking back and forth between the two, an image popped into the fox's head that caused a smirk to creep onto his muzzle.

"Why don't you two leave me alone and just go have sex already? Jeez." The chuckles coming from the two in front of him died in their throats as their eyes widened. With a humored glance at Aezel and Gary, Derek decided it was time to get out. _Fast._

Sensing he was about to escape, the bear quickly grabbed hold of his scarf and hauled the kitsune into the air. "Okay, you know what? You asked for it, asshole!" He stomped towards a door in the back of the building, the wolf stalking out behind them.

From her seat at the bar, Aezel watched the scene unfold with increasing anticipation. Gary leaned close to her, wearing a similarly troubled frown. "I think your friend might be in a bit of trouble," he said in a hushed voice.

Aezel gave a slow nod. "Uh huh."

* * *

Once the back door had closed, the bear dropped Derek unceremoniously to the ground. Standing and brushing himself off yet again, the fox looked to either side at the two hostiles now circling him. Not really sure how to go about the situation, he dropped his arms to his sides. "Now what?"

"Now," the wolf sneered, "we beat you to a pulp and you never come here again."

Derek put on a thoughtful expression, raising a paw to his chin. "Sounds a little extreme," he commented. Suddenly the great bear lurched at him, wrapping his large paws around the relatively scrawny fox's neck. Derek struggled as he was lifted off the ground and the grip around his neck tightened. Trying in vain to pry apart the vice around his neck, he realized he could do nothing but kick his legs futilely and choke and gasp for air.

The bear was gritting his teeth as though he was a child trying to tear apart a doll. "J-just..." he stammered, "just _DIE_, you little-" His insult was cut off as a flurry of kicks met his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and loosening his grip on the fox enough for him to wriggle free. Landing on all fours, Derek gasped and clutched at his throat as the bear stumbled back a few yards and hunched over in his own battle for breath.

"Hey!" The wolf shouted, grabbing Derek's arm. Startled, he whirled around with his open paw raised and brought it across the wolf's face. Staggering backwards, the wolf brought a hand to his face. "The hell?" He uttered, disbelief clear across his face at the concept of being slapped in the middle of a fight. "Did you just...?"

"Yup." Derek shook out his wrists and smirked. "Annoying, isn't it?"

"You..." A weak moan from behind him brought him on the alert once more. "You little _bitch!_" Derek instinctively jerked to the side and narrowly avoided being tackled (and most likely crushed) by the large bear. Hoping to finally end the scuffle, Derek held out his paw with the palm facing up. A faint blue glow surrounded it, then stretched into a long, stick-like object and faded to a tan color as Derek's paw wrapped around it.

"W-Where...?" The bear stuttered, jaw dropping as he saw the feat take place.

The wolf only pointed a shaking finger at Derek. "Look, he's gonna hit us with a _stick!_" He laughed. "We-We'd better hide!" The bear started laughing along with his friend, and soon the two were doubled over, wiping tears from their eyes.

Unamused, Derek called to them, "It's actually called a _staff_." But the two barely seemed to hear him, their fit of laughter drowning out his naturally quiet voice.

"We're... we... ah _HAHAHA!_" The wolf wheezed out, his face growing redder each second. "We're sure in trouble now!" Both foes burst out laughing with renewed vigor at the wolf's last comment.

_Thunk._

Their giggling was abruptly cut off as the bear tumbled to the ground, lying unmoving on his front. His comrade stared blankly at him before casting a glance at the fox holding his staff above his friend's unconscious body. Another quick swing of the staff and the wolf jumped away with a short yelp, just barely avoiding the blow as the staff cracked loudly against the ground. Ducking under a swing at his head, he lunged forward and stabbed his inch-long claws into the fox's stomach.

"Agh!" Derek stepped back, cringing, and managed a blow to the wolf's side. He aimed another at his opponent's legs, but to his dismay the wolf leapt over it, flying towards him with his paw reared back. He barely saw the speedy slash across his chest before getting an elbow to the nose that knocked him on his back. _Oww..._ he groaned, rolling onto his side. At that moment, the wolf crashed down only feet away, aiming for the spot he had been in only a second earlier. Jumping up to dodge a kick to the head, Derek held his staff in a defensive stance, breathing heavily as he felt his chest growing slick with blood. _That was too close._

"You should'a just stayed away from our bar, _freak!_" The wolf screeched, charging at him once again. Derek waited until he was only feet away and sidestepped the blow, spinning expertly to land a hit flat on his back. Seemingly unfazed, the wolf turned and let loose a series of slashes and kicks that the fox narrowly avoided. At last, Derek saw an opening in his enemy's defenses and jabbed his staff into the wolf's stomach. The air _whooshed_ out of his mouth and his eyes bulged, dazing him for a second, as Derek brought his staff straight up under his chin with a loud _crack_. The wolf fell to the ground, and after watching him for a few seconds, Derek relaxed. Leaning on his staff, he took a few deep breaths and cringed at the pain in his chest. Looking down, he was surprised to see nearly his entire front side stained a dark red. He held a paw to his head, feeling a bit dizzy, and a quiet _click_ behind him indicated another person coming through the back door.

"Derek?" Aezel whispered, peeking around the door into the alley. Stepping fully outside, she looked at the scene with shock. "Holy crap."

Said fox wandered unsteadily towards her, coughing tiredly. "Let's... get out of here." The cat stared at him with such wide eyes he let out a low chuckle.

"Y-You're _bleeding!_" she said hoarsely. "Like... a _lot_," she added, unable to take her eyes off the wound on his chest.

Derek felt his body growing weaker as his vision became hazy. Leaning heavily on his staff, he mumbled, "I'm too drunk to care right now." With another groan, he slumped to the ground at her feet, an awkward mess of white and red fur, and darkness faded into his vision as his tails fell limp on top of him.

Aezel paused, watching him for a few seconds, until she realized he wouldn't be moving anytime soon. "Wait, what?!" she yelled. Lifting a few of his tails with more than a little effort, she could tell he was much too heavy for her to move, and carrying that stick-thing as well wouldn't make it any easier. Looking around for anything that could possibly help, her ears flattened to the sides of her head as she came up with nothing. Near the point of giving up, she sighed.

_What am I supposed to do now?_


	6. III: A New Apprentice?

Hello again! I'm back, time for chapter 3. :3

* * *

The first thing Derek felt as his consciousness returned to him was a rush of blood to his head, which was followed quickly by a dull pain emanating from his chest that made him groan quietly. His decision to rest a moment longer was immediately forgotten when a prod on his chest made him yelp and snap his eyes open, gasping in a vain effort to relieve the throbbing. Aezel hovered over him with a concerned gaze and an outstretched paw that he reflexively slapped away. As he rolled over on his side and coughed, the needles stabbing into his lungs became even more numerous; he barely caught the concerned cat's words through the harsh ringing in his ears.

"Stop coughing, you'll open your wounds up again!" Aezel rubbed the fox's back until his coughs became less and less frequent, before stopping altogether. Derek looked down at the source of the sudden fit and took note of the incredible neatness with which his chest had been patched up.

"Where are we?" he mumbled, slowly sitting up, just now realizing for the first time that he was in a small bed. A quick glance around told him he was in a plain white room, and an occasional _beep_ reached his ears as he listened. _Oh no, please not here..._

"You're in the hospital, dummy!" Aezel giggled. Turning her back to him, she didn't see his confused look change to an anxious one. "After you passed out, I was kinda stuck with... well, basically a furry sack of potatoes. So Gary and I dragged you here." She rubbed her back and put on a pained expression. "_Man_, are you heavy!" Looking back over her shoulder, her smirk disappeared as she caught the troubled gaze of the battered fox. "What's wrong?"

"How long have I been here?" He asked hurriedly. _If the staff recognized me, they've surely called the police by now, and they'll soon be on my tail... I mean, tails._

Aezel shrugged. "I dunno. A few hours, I guess. Why?" She tilted her head slightly, wondering at his apparent restlessness. She jumped when he suddenly tossed the covers off his bed and rolled onto his feet. He took a shaky step towards her, paused to regain his balance, and then walked briskly out the door, snatching his scarf on the way out. Aezel trailed closely behind as he snuck through the maze of hallways, peeking around every corner before taking the next turn. "So, um..." she started quietly, "_what's_ going on, exactly?"

Derek huddled against the wall to avoid the glance of a passing employee and led Aezel quietly around the corner. "I have to get out of here," he whispered. "They probably alerted the police that I'm here." Quickly looking both ways, he darted across another hall and dove out a nearby window.

Aezel ran after him and watched, stunned as the injured kitsune fell three stories and landed neatly on all fours. "What the hell was _that?!_" she yelled, drawing his attention. "How am I supposed to get down there?"

"It's probably best if you don't," he grumbled, turning to leave. After a single step forward, he was floored by a heavy object falling squarely on his shoulders, forcing all the air out of him. Coughing weakly, he lay limp on the ground as the weight disappeared from his back.

Dusting herself off, Aezel stood up and smiled down at him. "There, problem solved." She reached down to grab him by the scruff of his neck and helped him stagger to his feet, wheezing desperately for air. "So, where to next?" She grinned and draped an arm around his shoulders. Derek weakly turned his head to glare daggers at her, only prompting her to wink at him cutely. With a huff, the fox shrugged her off and stalked away. "Wait, where are you going?"

Derek slowed to a stop. "I don't know." He looked back at her, surprising her with the intense annoyance in his gaze and the ferocity of his snarl. "Now what do you _want?!_"

The cat shrank back slightly but tried to stand tall-at least, as tall as she could possibly appear to the fox, who was nearly a foot taller than her. "I just want to learn about you, get to know you..." she trailed off under his now-uneasy expression, turning away from him. "You know, maybe we could... get to be friends."

Derek frowned. In his current situation, he didn't see how he could maintain a friendship with anyone. _Not that I have any use for one anyway,_ he thought bitterly. "I'm not really... friendship material," he muttered, tugging on the knot of his scarf. "A young girl like you shouldn't hang around with guys like me, anyway."

Turning to leave, he was surprised when Aezel appeared in front of him with an intimidating glare. "_Look_," she hissed, "I just fucking took you to the _hospital_, and this is what I get? You just try to walk off all mysteriously without so much as a 'thank-you' or 'goodbye?'" Derek gulped as he felt his back press against the wall of the hospital. "And you won't even give me _two seconds'_ time to just ask if I can help you find those guys who killed your... fam... ily." Aezel's voice faded to a whisper, and she covered her mouth after realizing what she had just said. She looked closely at the fox's face and found a mixture of shock, anger, and fear.

"How..." he whispered, drawing in a shaky breath, "how did you know about that?" He had taken it upon himself to keep a relatively low profile, and having his secret past revealed so plainly to him made him feel exposed and unnerved to no end.

Aezel blushed and looked down at her feet. "You talk a little in your sleep." The fox blinked and shook his head sadly. "So... what do you say?" she asked, a pleading look on her face. Derek frowned. "You know, I'm just going to keep showing up at random times if you say no."

"Well..." he sighed, "I guess... I could use a..." he paused, looking for the right word to describe her.

"An apprentice?" she asked eagerly. Derek sensed the excitement in her question and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I was actually going to say 'a partner' but that's-" He was cut off by a high-pitched shriek that left his ears ringing, and Aezel nearly tackled him with a tight hug. "I'm starting to regret this already..." he mumbled.

* * *

After a few more minutes of bone-crushing, ribcage-caving hugs, Aezel was following Derek through Maro's labyrinth of back streets. "So, what are we doing first?"

"Gathering information," he replied, his brisk pace not faltering.

"Where are we going?"

Derek paused. "Hm. Well, I guess it depends..." He glanced sideways at her, a somewhat mischievous glint in his cobalt eyes. "How well can you hold your liquor?"


	7. IV: Gathering Intelligence

Hey everyone, sorry for the _looong_ delay on this update. I've had a lot of stuff come up. But luckily I had a sudden craving the past few days to finish up this chapter, which I started awhile ago; so here it is!

I'm going to retract my earlier statement - I definitely won't be able to update weekly anymore. Sorry if this disappoints anyone, but I'll still try to update every month or two. I know that seems like a big reduction, but I really have lots going on.

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

'_Not well_' was probably the most accurate answer the fox could come up with as he watched Aezel finish off yet another mug of ale in the middle of an increasingly-rowdy crowd. While Aezel ambled over to him, he turned his head to meet Gary's concerned gaze with one of his own, flinching when the cat let out a shriek of laughter and almost wrung his neck with an unexpected hug. "So, yeah... *_hic_* wha're we in goin' do then?" Aezel asked, leaning lazily against him.

Gary looked from Aezel to Derek. "Did you understand that?" he asked.

"I think so," Derek replied, rubbing his neck with an annoyed glance at Aezel. "Well Aezel, we _were_ going to try asking around for some info, remember?" Receiving nothing but a silly grin from the cat, he muttered, "although it seems like _that_ ship has sailed... down a river of alcohol."

Aezel giggled and waved her empty mug at Gary. "Wanta drink foxie?" She patted Derek's head (although the 'pats' were wild and rough to the point they were more like slaps) and called out to Gary in a singsong voice. "Hey Gar', gimme us a drinks, okey?" The raccoon complied, albeit with obvious reluctance to further intoxicate the tipsy feline.

Derek sighed and took both mugs from Gary, holding them at length away from Aezel, who stretched her arms around him to reach them. Seeing her arms were too short, she pouted and slumped against the kitsune, who nearly dropped the drinks in surprise. "Hey, get off me," he mumbled in embarrassment, nudging her head with his shoulder. The cat only whined and wrapped both arms around his neck, yanking his face close to hers and snuggling against him. Derek finally decided he had had enough for one day.

"Okay, that's it," he growled, setting the drinks on the bar. "We're done." He pried Aezel's arms from around his neck and pulled her off the stool. He then left a few coins on the counter and led the stumbling Aezel out the door.

"Wher' we goin'?" Aezel slurred, looking up at him with sad eyes. Derek stared back, unaffected by her pleading look.

"_You_ are going home. _I_ still have work to do." With that, he scooped her up in his arms and dashed down the street while the cat whooped in excitement.

Once they arrived in front of Aezel's apartment, Derek set her down in front of the door. "All right, I assume you can make it from here." He nodded to her, uttered a quick "see you later" and turned to leave before he heard a sharp whisper.

"_Hey!_"

Derek stopped and looked around. After a moment passed and nothing happened, he dismissed it as his imagination and took a step forward.  
"_Hey, you!_" Derek froze in his tracks as his ears swiveled around, trying to locate the source of the noise. "_Yeah, you, fox-thing! Up here!_" Derek frowned and squinted up at the second-floor window of Aezel's apartment building directly above Aezel's room. He thought he saw the faint outline of someone standing in front of the window, but when he blinked, it was gone. Staring at it a bit longer, he jumped when someone suddenly peeked out at him and motioned him to come inside.

Inside the apartment, a halfling pulled his head inside and turned away from the window. He walked over to the door and waited, rather impatiently, for the visitor to knock. After a minute, he started tapping his foot and a scowl slowly spread across his face.

*_ahem_*

The halfling snapped his head to the side to see the fox relaxing against the windowsill. "What's up?" Derek smirked, crossing his hands behind his head.

Shaking off the initial shock, he pointed at the door. "You could have just _knocked_."

"Nah. What'd you want?"

"Well," he began, "I've heard rumors of a certain... _unusual fox_... who has been 'on the lookout' for a certain gang-of-sorts for the past few years. Am I correct?" A nod from the fox prompted him to continue. "I've also heard rumors of a very certain gang about six towns southwest of here. A gang that happens to very closely match his... specifications."

Derek eyed the man suspiciously. "Rumors, huh? Just where might you have heard these oddly specific rumors?"

The stranger's expression turned defensive. "I have my connections," he replied, sounding offended.

Derek watched him a few seconds longer, then took a deep breath and sat up on the windowsill, facing him. "So, what's your motive here? Money?"

"We share a common enemy." The halfling turned away, his voice becoming quiet. "We'll meet at the tavern, tonight. I can give you a few bits of information about this endeavor."

Derek gave a wry smile. "Seems I'm getting dragged there a lot, as of late."

"Well, one more time won't hurt." He turned back to face the kitsune, holding a hand out in farewell, only to find the window empty; his arm fell back to his side as he let out a sigh.

"...See you then..."

* * *

It was barely past sunset when Derek began to make his way back to the tavern, once again traveling across rooftops for safety. He finally recognized the smooth surface of his destination, and silently dropped down next to the front door. Looking around for any prying eyes, he nodded and pushed through the door.

The interior was even darker than usual as he slowly padded across the room towards a booth, which was currently occupied by a familiar figure. The stranger's eyes met his as he noticed the fox's approach; motioning for him to sit down, the halfling crossed his hands on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"Before we begin our little chat, I believe introductions are in order." A hand extended across the table, which Derek shook firmly. "I'm Darius Exthemus, known to my friends as Dex."

"Derek," the fox responded. _No need to reveal a last name,_ he assured himself. Dex watched him for a moment, as if expecting something more, but Derek remained silent.

With a quiet nod, Dex called to Gary behind the bar. "Two glasses of wine, please." He turned his head back to look at Derek, who was giving him an odd grin. "What?" he frowned indignantly. "I can enjoy fancy things, sometimes."

"Sure." Derek took his glass from the raccoon approaching the booth, as did the halfling across from him.

"I'll admit, this isn't the best they offer, but I'd like to know who I'm buying for first," Dex laughed. Derek smiled along with him and took a long gulp from his own drink, his nose twitching afterwards.

"Not bad."

Dex gave him an obvious _I-told-you-so_ look before his face turned more solemn. "Now," he started quietly. After taking a sip from the drink wrapped in his grip, he looked the fox in the eyes. "What do you want to know?"

Derek met his gaze with an icy one of his own. "Everything."

Dex narrowed his eyes, a small smirk on his face. "Very well."


End file.
